Pedro Martinez told The Post yesterday that he feels strong and remains hopeful that he’ll be back with the Mets next month.

“Oh yeah. I’m optimistic that I’ll be [back by then],” Martinez said in a phone conversation. “So far, thanks to God, everything’s going great. No setbacks. No soreness. Not anything that would hold me back from doing anything that I’m supposed to do.”

Added the ace, “I’m hoping to [return next month]. Believe me, I’m hoping to be back. As soon as possible. But I have to listen to what they told me.”

On Monday, Martinez threw his second simulated game, tossing three innings and 50 pitches in St. Lucie, Fla. The 35-year-old, who’s rehabbing from a torn rotator cuff, almost certainly will throw at least one more simulated game before beginning his rehab assignment. As Met fans anxiously and breathlessly await his return, he insisted that “everything is going great so far.”

Martinez, however, doesn’t really know for sure how he’ll be when he returns to the Mets because he hasn’t pitched in a rehab game yet, which makes it very difficult to predict his major-league possibilities.

Nor could Martinez say for sure what or when his next step will be or when he’ll make his rehab assignment debut. He did confirm that the break he took earlier this month “was planned because I had to get away from all the heavy weight.” But he insisted, “It wasn’t really a break,” saying that he did other work and was simply “caught up” on protracted workouts.

The expectations for Martinez’s return are going to be soaring, and he was asked yesterday if he believes people are expecting too much.

“I have no idea how much they can be expecting,” he said. “But I just know I want to be healthy and I want to be as good as I can be for my fans. They deserve it.”